The present invention relates generally to a class of devices often referred to as document holders, or copy holders. The present invention relates particularly to document holders and copy holders used with computers, and other devices having screens for the display of information.
A variety of document holders and copy holders have been invented, to assist people both in supporting heavier objects, such as large books, and to allow people to conveniently view written and graphic information while having the free use of their hands. In general, the variety of features of different document holders is driven by the variety of circumstances in which people view documents, and associated ergonomic issues. As examples, document holders have been devised to facilitate reading documents while in cars, and to facilitate reading in bed.
Because the focus of the present invention is to facilitate reading and viewing documents while using a computer or a similar device, the scope of this background information will be first narrowed to document holders used with computers, and further narrowed to document holders that situate documents below the screen, rather than to one side. Only a very brief description is provided for each invention; the reader is referred to the cited patents for complete information.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,705 (October 1984) discloses a document holder that mounts on a display terminal, and presents a document to a preferred side of the terminal. Horizontal eye movement may thus be required over both the width of the monitor screen and the width of the document.
Remaining patents described here are for document holders that situate documents below the screen, rather than to one side.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,214 (April 1987), discloses a document holder comprising two hinged document supporting components situated over a keyboard on a sliding platform that can be located in a forward position and a rearward position with respect to the monitor. When the keyboard is in a forward, or operating position, both hinged document supporting components form a surface for supporting documents. When the keyboard is in a rearward position, it can be enclosed and protected by the lower hinged document supporting component.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,775 (January 1990) discloses a copy holder comprising a planar rectangular base section placed beneath a computer, a second section attached to the base section and angled to the rear of the computer at an angle of about 70 to 85 degrees, and hinged to a third, document supporting section having an adjustable shelf with which to support documents. The third, document supporting section can be placed in either an upward position to support documents, or in a lowered position to allow access to disk drives.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,237 (August 1995) discloses a computer keyboard support system, mounted on an under surface of a work table, comprising a means to pull the keyboard out from under the work table, and comprising a height adjustable document holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,876 (September 1995) discloses a copy holder for use in-line with a monitor stand, comprising a means for supporting a monitor above a work surface, and a copy holder that may be slid forward from a tray, to a position forward of the monitor, and at an angle of about 22 degrees.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,262 (January 2000) discloses a keyboard shield and copy holder, comprising an adjustible top plate member having a document supporting flange and downward extending left and right side panels, and a bottom plate member having upward extending left and right side panels to engage the side panels of the top plate member. In use, the top plate member serves to shield the keyboard from being viewed directly, facilitating the training of typists and keyboard operators in the art known as xe2x80x9ctouch typing.xe2x80x9d
U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,075 (March 2000) discloses a computer copy holder for a keyboard drawer, comprising a keyboard drawer situated below a monitor, and containing both a keyboard and the copy holder. The copy holder comprises a base plate situated under the keyboard, and an easel that can be placed either in an upstanding position for supporting documents, or horizontally above the keyboard, thus to allow the keyboard drawer, containing both the keyboard and the copy holder, to be closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,585 (August 2000) discloses a computer copy holder and monitor riser stand, comprising a base plate situated below a keyboard, a removable and positionable upstanding easel having a document supporting lip, and supported both by a support member slidably connected to the base plate, and by a computer monitor riser.
The practice of the present invention is intended to render a simple, inexpensive, mass market, sturdy, durable, detached and portable document holder, allowing people who use a wide variety of types and designs of computers to simultaneously and conveniently work with both their computers and with a wide variety of documents, including heavy books, that may be positioned below their monitor, or below and to one side of their monitor. To allow maximum freedom and convenience for the computer user, one particularly significant object of the present invention is to provide a free-standing document holder, allowing the computer user to operate a keyboard, and/or a mouse, while the document holder is situated in a variety of positions, including in front of, and/or over, and/or behind, the keyboard.
The present invention is also intended to be xe2x80x9chyperscaleablexe2x80x9d, meaning that at least one preferred embodiment can be manufactured with a relatively simple, inexpensive process, and can be both produced and marketed profitably for a very wide range of sales volume, including very small volumes during a start-up period that can range from a few months to a few years, thus facilitating commercialization of the invention. This hyperscalable aspect of the present invention has been achieved in part by devising multiple preferred embodiments, including a preferred embodiment suitable for start-up and initial production, and including a preferred embodiment that requires a greater initial capital investment, but that can render a version of the present invention that can be produced economically in large volumes, and that may be more durable than the preferred embodiment identified as most suitable for start-up production.
The inventions comprising the prior art appear to compare favorably with the present invention with respect to some attributes, but to fall short with respect to other attributes. It should be noted that because the present invention is intended to be both simpler and more economical than the prior art, instances of the prior art offer some advantageous attributes that are not sought, or offered, by the present invention.
An informal analysis was conducted, and each of the eight prior art inventions briefly described above was subjectively placed on a scale from one to ten for a group of attributes, such that the present invention was considered as among the group of prior art for determining the end points of the scale. Regarding the attribute xe2x80x9csimplexe2x80x9d, most of the summarized inventions appear to be at least moderately complex relative to the present invention. It is difficult to directly assess the attribute xe2x80x9cinexpensivexe2x80x9d, but if xe2x80x9ccomplexxe2x80x9d can be assumed to be a proxy for xe2x80x9cexpensivexe2x80x9d, it seem likely the prior art inventions would tend to be at least moderately expensive. Regarding the attribute xe2x80x9cmass marketxe2x80x9d, the relatively higher complexity and assumed higher cost of the prior art suggests that most of the prior art inventions are not intended to be mass market products, but are xe2x80x9chigh endxe2x80x9d products for segments of the population of all computer users who would gain the most benefit from the unique attributes offered by each prior art invention. It should be noted that U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,262 discloses a device specifically designed for people who are learning the art of xe2x80x9ctouch typing,xe2x80x9d and is not suitable for most typical computer work environments. Regarding the attributes xe2x80x9csturdyxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdurablexe2x80x9d it appears the prior art would do very well with respect to both these attributes. Regarding the attribute xe2x80x9cdetached and portablexe2x80x9d, some instances of the prior art appear to require extensive installation, while other instances are quite easily portable. Regarding the attribute xe2x80x9cuseable by people who use a wide variety of computer types, and with a wide variety of documents,xe2x80x9d it appears that this attribute is applicable to most of the prior art. Regarding xe2x80x9cpositioning attributes respective to the monitor and the keyboardxe2x80x9d, each of the prior art inventions allows documents to be positioned below the monitor, and some of the prior art inventions explicitly describe positioning documents below and to one side of the monitor. Three of the prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,657,214, 5,443,237, and 6,010,262, appear to specifically provide for positioning either behind and/or above the keyboard.
The present invention comprises a computer document holder, having a front top flange for supporting documents, an optional rear bottom flange, a rectangular viewing surface that is contiguous with the front and rear flanges, and supported by two quadrilateral side structures. Each side structure has a base edge dimension of approximately nine inches. At the front quadrilateral edge of the document holder each side structure extends upward approximately five inches from a work surface. At the rear quadrilateral edge of the document holder, each side structure extends upward approximately ten inches from a work surface. The unequal lengths of the front and back quadrilateral edges of the side structures positions the document holder rectangular viewing surface at an angle with respect to a work surface, such that documents rest on the front flange, and the rear of each document is elevated above the front of the document with respect to the work surface, for convenient viewing.
The document holder is used with a computer, and is placed on a work surface, such that the keyboard is on the same work surface, and the document holder is above the computer keyboard. The document holder may be situated such that it is completely in front of the keyboard, partially over and partially in front of the keyboard, directly over the keyboard, partially over and partially to the rear of the keyboard, partially in front of, partially over, and partially to the rear of the keyboard, or completely to the rear of the keyboard. The computer user can operate the keyboard, and/or the mouse, while the document holder is situated in any of the ways just previously described above. The dimensions of the rectangular viewing surface are: approximately ten inches for the two opposite, shorter edges that are contiguous with the side structures, and can be in a range from approximately twenty inches to approximately thirty six inches for the remaining two opposite, longer edges.
The present invention also comprises an optional monitor riser, which is used to position the monitor such that the document holder does not obstruct a full view of the screen. Because work station configurations vary, in some cases the height of the monitor screen is such that a monitor riser is not required.